Taking Flight (part three of the FeatherDash saga)
by FeatherDash
Summary: Ten years have passed, and its time for Feather to head to Wonderbolts Academy. What new challenges will he face? Part three, so read the other two first!
1. Leaving

"Relax mom, I'll be fine! It's only an hour away!" I said. Mom always said she was prepared for this, but she wasn't. I had told her a billion times that Wonderbolts Academy was only an hour away. She wasn't crying, just really really worried.

"Promise you'll come home once in a while to see me?" She asked as I shoved a framed picture into a box.

"Promise." I told her as I wrote on the side of a cardboard box. The campus had dorms, so I was moving out. A loud noise came from the front, and we saw the carriage that we had gotten to take my stuff. There was about five or six boxes total, because I couldn't bring everything to Academy with me. I took a final quick look around, then grabbed a box and brought it outside.

After a few minutes, all the boxes were on the carriage, and the driver was ready to go. I turned to mom, who was smiling, but had tears in her eyes. I hugged her before climbing into the carriage with my stuff. I waved to her until she passed out of view, then I lay down. I felt so bad for leaving. All my friends would be starting their lives while I went to school for a few extra years.

The hour passed quickly, and before I knew it, the campus was in view. Built similar to Canterlot, it sat on the side of a mountain. It didn't look like much from a distance, but it was much bigger than I thought. The carriage landed in front of a big building, and I unloaded my stuff before going inside. I found a bunch of pegasi walking around, talking. A table was set up in the middle of the room, with a big 'sign in here' poster hanging above it. I walked over to the table, and was met by Spitfire, who had retired as a wonderbolts a few years ago.

"Well, if it isn't the accident-prone FeatherDash." She said sarcastically with a smile. I had met her a few times before, and she was always sweet to me.

"Hey Spitfire. What am I supposed to do now?" I asked. I was totally lost.

"Well, I look up your name, and tell you your room number. Then I give you a key and you get to go meet your roommate. Somepony will come by later with your schedules." She said as I was given a key.

"Alright thanks! I guess I'll see you around."

"Alright, laters!"

Note: just wanted to get a quick chapter out. Btw I think it's awesome of people to do fan art. My favorite: art/FeatherDash-and-his-Mom-348758688?ga_submit=10%3A1358309821 so cool! If any pony decides to do fan art, post it somewhere and send me a link.

also, the cover is done by the talented Melody (her in real life ;3)


	2. 32C

"32a, 32b, ah! Here it is! 32c!" I said as I put the key in the lock. I opened the door, revealing a small room with two desks, two dressers, and a bunk bed. i put the box I had down, and brought the others in over a period of about half an hour. When I brought the last box in, I was met by a dark brown colt with a long red and gold mane. He turned to me and smiled. Come on Feather, you can do this! I said to myself. My shyness hasn't gotten any better. If anything, it's worse.

"Hey! I'm Vague Blaze." He said. I flattened my ears and began backing up slowly.

"I'm uh... FeatherDash..." I said hesitantly.

"THE FeatherDash? The one that earned a perfect score in flight camp?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Man, I raced against you! The final race at the end of the week when you took that nasty crash."

"Really?" I stood completely straight. This guy seemed genuinely nice.

For the next two hours, we both set up our stuff. I put all my DJ-PON3 posters and installed the speakers I had packed. As I pulled the last item out of the final box, I smiled. I put the little stand on the back of the frame up and set the picture on my desk. The last minute thing I had grabbed, the photo of me and mom under the tree.

As I put it down, Vague walked over to me.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"Oh, that is my mom the day after I woke up." I said.

"Really?! She looks young enough to be your sister."

"Seriously?! You'd say that about my mom?!"

"Sorry! Didn't mean to offend you!"

"It's fine. She kinda saved my life, so I'm very protective."

"Wait, if she's your mom, didn't she give you life in the first place?"

"No, no, no. She adopted me."

"Well now you have to tell me the story."

"No I don't."

"Come on!"

"Fine! She found me beaten, brought me to a hospital, and adopted me. That picture is when she told me I had a new home."

"Oh, wow. Sounds rough."

"It had its ups and downs. My dad killed my original mom, I killed him. People tried to kidnap me, she protected me. I owe her my life."

"Well, that's not a normal story."

"It may not be normal, but its mine."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I walked over, and there were two envelopes at the foot of the door. One was addressed to me, the other to him. He grabbed his out of my hoof, and ripped it open.

"What does your schedule say?" He asked.

I tore open the envelope to see that the day was divided into four parts.

"First, I have strength training with Mr. Soarin? I didn't know he worked here."

"Me either."

"Second, agility with . Third, off period. Fourth, flight patterns with a mr. Luminous? Wait... Mr. Luminous was the guy that caught me after my crash!"

"Cool. I have strength and agility with you."

"Nice."

A half hour passed, and a bell rang out. I looked at the schedule paper, then at the clock. 5:30 aka cafeteria opens for dinner. I put my bags on, shoved my music player in, and grabbed my headphones. I pressed play and strolled out into the hallway. I had no idea where I was going, so I followed every pony else.

note: another short chapter, I Promise ill step it up!

FeatherDash :3


	3. Hear the Melody

I walked with no real aim, just following the crowds. I watched as the zigzag pattern in the floor moved back and forth like a snake. I I remembered something Vague had said. A shortcut to the cafeteria, third left turn. I looked up and followed his instructions. As I turned a corner, I bumped into a mare, sending her books flying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I said as I picked up some of the books.

"It's fine, really." She told me.

I picked up the last book and turned to hand it to her. For a split second, our eyes met. She hadShe grabbed the book and ran off. She had a Light brown mane with one long strip of baby blue running through the middle. Huh, that was weird. I said to myself as I continued to walk.

As I carried my tray of food, I scanned the room for Vague. I spotted him sitting at a table outside. I walked over and sat down next to him. I looked up to see the mare from before sitting across from me.

"Oh, hi!" I said with A smile. She just stared at me.

"I'm guessing you guys met earlier?" Vague said. I turned to him.

"How did you know?"

"Because my plans always work out. Duh!"

"Plans?"

"I sent you both the same way because you are a lot alike. This isn't my first year, you know. She goes here too."

The rest of the time passed talking about different things. The mare never actually said anything, just listened. When we were finished, I stood up and started walking off. Who is she? I asked myself as I entered the dorm building.

When I reached my room, I put my stuff down and jumped on the bed. I sat staring up at the ceiling. Who was that mare? My thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, and Vague walking in.

"Hey." He said as he set his bags on the desk.

"Hey." I was still staring at the ceiling.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little confused."

"What about?"

"Who was that mare?"

"At dinner? That's Melody. She's a friend of mine from when I was a colt in Cloudsdale."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Yeah, she came over to me at lunch. Talked about 'this guy that ran into me. He helped clean up my books and I need your help.' And stuff."

"Why does she need your help?"

"Who knows? She's extremely shy."

"Oh. Okay"

He punched me lightly in the arm.

"I see what's going on here!"

"Hm?"

"You like Melody!"

"How can you like somepony if you haven't even talked to them?"

"Touchè. Fine. You think Melody's cute!"

"Shut up!" I said as I flipped onto my stomach.

"Dude, it's not a big deal. You like a mare. So what?"

"So, we are both shy! How do you suppose we are going to talk?" I jumped off the bed. My music equipment was set up. I liked to make little songs and things. I worked for about two hours, then decided I needed to get a good nights sleep. Classes start tomorrow.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

I woke to the sound of my alarm going off. I hit the dismiss button, and jumped out of bed. Each dorm had its own bathroom, so I jumped into the shower. I got out and dried off. The door opened, revealing a sleepy-looking Vague. I packed everything I would need. Water, towel, paper, and pencils. I walked out the door and headed towards the cafeteria.


	4. Misunderstanding

"It's too early!" Vague said as he set his food down.

"Well, maybe you should go to sleep earlier." I told him.

"Nah."

"Alright then. What's up?"

"Not much. Melody came over after you left, asked some questions."

"Oh, cool"

"You aren't curious what she asked about?"

"No, why?"

"She was asking about you!"

"What?"

"She likes you! I told her to introduce herself first."

"That's always a good first step."

"Here she comes, stay calm."

She sat down next to Vague and started talking in the softest voice I've ever heard.

"Hi I'm Melody.."

"Hey, I'm Feather."

That's all she said the entire meal.

"Welcome to strength training!" Soarin shouted as he walked along the line of wonderbolt trainees. We all had blue and white neck sleeves on.

"Today, we will be testing your limits! I will record the scores based on the amount of weight you can lift. First up, FeatherDash."

Why am I always first?! I said to myself as I got under the weight bar. The weight was adjusted to one hundred pounds. I lifted it with ease, and each time I passed, they added another twenty five pounds. I made it to three hundred twenty five pounds before giving up.

It took the entire class just to get everyone tested. As Vague and I walked away, I was taken down from behind. I turned to see Melody standing over me.

"Oh, hey Mel-" I was stopped by her as she leaned down and kissed me. I stared up in surprise. Her face had turned red. She smirked and bolted away.

"I think I know what she thought was funny." He said, holding back laughter as he poked my outstretched wings.

"Oh god..." I said.

"Dude, seriously? A wingboner, right in front of her?"

"Hey she was standing on me! Can you control when it happens?!"

"Nope!" He said as he ran off, laughing.

Well then why would you laugh at me?! I thought to myself as I took off after him.

Second period went by much the same way. Testing speeds, recording wing power, etcetera etcetera. The lead pony/ wing pony assignments were being posted tomorrow, and i was really excited. I didn't have the same off period as vague, but I did get an unexpected surprise. I was on my back in the grass, watching clouds lazily float by. I heard hoof steps coming closer, so I looked around to see Melody standing behind me. I laughed as I flipped her on her back in front of me. I got up and stared down at her.

"Why do you keep following me?" I said with a smile.

She mumbled something, but I couldn't hear her.

"What? I can't hear you." I leaned in closer to hear her"

She said it again only quieter.

"That's not helping." I leaned in a tiny bit more.

All of a sudden, she grabbed me and kissed me again! I didn't even know this mare!

"Haha, I'll admit it, you're good!"

She smiled.

"But I don't even know you! Do you always go around kissing strangers?"

"Nope! Just the really cute ones!" She said. I stepped back. She never said anything to me, then comes out and says this? It didn't make sense! I grabbed my stuff and ran back to my room. I sat at the desk and started messing around. I accidentally missed my last class. Oops. I gave up when I heard the bell for dinner ring. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I found Vague at the same table he always sat at. When he saw me, he looked angry. I sat down as he started talking.

"What did you do?!"

"Huh?"

"Melody locked herself in her dorm and won't come out! So I'm gonna ask again, what did you do?!"

"Ah crap! She misunderstood me! I'll be back."

"41A"

I ran over and bought a small boxed meal before running off to Melody's.

note: I have recieved three pms asking me to be your very special somepony. Please stop! I'm happily involved with Melody!

Featherdash


	5. Fried Rice

"Melody?" I said as I knocked on the door. The door opened a crack, revealing a blue eye staring me down. Then the door swung wide open as I was pulled in. I heard the door click shut, and I looked up. For some reason, I was always on my back when I landed. She came over and lay down next to me.

"I'm sorry..." She said.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I like you melody, but we just met! I just want to know you better." I said as I slid the small box of food to her. She opened it, revealing the small container of fried rice and a water bottle.

"Fried rice! My favorite!" She said as she started eating.

"Really? That went perfectly." I said with a smirk.

She swallowed a forkful of the rice and looked at me. "How about this? I have two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala in a month."

I had always secretly wanted to go to the gala, but never got a ticket.

"Alright, sounds good!"

"Yay! I have a date to the Gala!" She said as she ate.

I stood up. "Vague's waiting for me, so I have to go."

"Alright I'll see you later, lead pony!"

_What?_ I said to myself as the door clicked shut behind me. I heard shuffling and then two distinct voices. Crap, I forgot her roommate.

"Is she okay?" Vague asked as I sat down next to him.

"Yeah, she's fine. I'm not so sure about me though." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. I had hit the ground hard when Melody pulled me.

"What happened?"

"Ah, nothing much. She pulled me into her room, I was flipped onto my back, and she invited me to the Gala with her."

"Isn't that like, a month away?"

"Yeah."

"Huh, alright then!"

I sat in the bleachers next to the track. It was Friday night, and Saturdays were my race days. I had joined the extracurricular race team for some extra excitement, plus it got me out of strength training. I stood up and walked over to my yellow workout bag. I pulled out the small shiny clip that would record my speed. Most of my teammates attached it to their clothes, but I felt attaching it to my mane was much better, because it kept it out of my face. I turned on the box next to the start line and took my position. Vague was in the control room, because he had promised to help me control the lights.

Red light. I readied myself.

Yellow. I crouched down and got ready to spring forward.

Green light. I shot forward with every ounce of strength I had. I sped around the course ten times, and stopped to check my times.

It repeated like this until I was ready to pass out. All of a sudden Vague came on over the loudspeaker.

"Dude, you should stop. It's been three hours without stopping."

I turned and shouted up to him. "One more time, then we're done!"

I set up and took off, same as the last races. I was determined to beat my speed, and I sped faster and faster. All of a sudden, I heard a loud crack of thunder, so I turned and came in. I was going much faster than I thought I was. I hit one of the loops i was supposed to fly through, recovered, and landed as Vague came out of the team entrance.

"Dude, what did you just do?!" He asked as he ran over to me.

"I don't know, but it hurts like hell!" I said as I walked over to my bag. I took off my clip and set it inside. As I zipped it up, Vague poked my side and I yelped in pain.

"We should probably get that checked out." He said.

"I'm fine! It's just a bruise," I said as I walked off the track, "I'll meet you back at the dorm." He nodded as I walked into the locker room for a shower.

The warm water felt amazing as I rinsed off. When I stepped out, I reached for a towel and coughed into it. I pulled it away from my face. _Oh no._ I thought to myself as I quickly dried off. I grabbed my bag and dropped my body towel into a bin. Then I ran to my dorm, leaving the bloody washcloth I had coughed into.


	6. Brackets

My bag weighed heavy on my shoulder as I stepped out into the morning air. I breathed in deep and started walking. I could hear the crowd at the track already, and that was on the other side of the campus. Today was a series of races. A bracket set. I ran all the way to the track, only to find Melody and Vague waiting for me. I looked at the bracket and found that I was the sixth race. I passed time with Melody and got up when my name was called. I saw the small counter where people put money down on their favorite racers. Pegasi from all over Equestria came to see these races. Vague stopped me as I walked onto the track.

"What did the nurse say about your rib?" He asked.

I wasn't gonna lie to him. "I never went."

"You what?!"

"I'll go after the races today." I walked past him, unaware that later would be too late.

I looked left and right as I readied myself for the race. I easily beat everypony in the first three heats. I was one on one with the second fastest pony at the academy. I never learned his name, but as I took off for the final race, there was a cramp in my side. I pushed through the pain, and made it to the last lap. Halfway through the last lap, I was neck and neck with the other pony. He looked over and checked me in the side, sending me flying. My eyes went wide as I hit the exact same hoop as last night. With a spurt of blood, my chest received a giant gash from the side of the hoop. I coughed up a little blood, and fell to the clouds below as I heard ponies screaming. Everything seemed so surreal, and I shakily stood up. Everything sounded like it was coming through cotton balls. I started to laugh as I collapsed onto the clouds.

When I awoke, ponies surrounded my bed. I looked around, trying to find Melody. I couldn't find her, so I lay back down. All of a sudden, I heard a large commotion as somepony ran through the group of ponies. Melody emerged, and wrapped me in a painful hug, but I didn't care.

"Now, now! He still has broken bones!" The nurse shouted as she removed melody.

"Hehe, sorry." She said.

"It's fine." I said as I righted myself.

I turned to the nurse and asked her. "How many bones did I actually break?"

"You broke half your ribcage, and dislocated your right wing." She said as she typed something into a heart monitor.

"Sigh, great. When can I get back on the track?" I asked her.

"About two weeks." She responded.

"Alright..." I knew there was no arguing with them, so I didn't.

Then, the sound of hoof steps came from the hall. "Where is he?" A voice asked. I heard the nurse guide her in the right direction, and a few seconds later, the door burst open and Mom ran in.

"EVERYPONY OUT!" She screamed. Melody started to leave, but I grabbed her so she didn't. Once everypony had left, mom came over and slapped me.

"What was that for?!" I asked in frustration.

"Vague Blaze told me the entire story! How dare you race injured?! You promised me you'd stay safe!" She screamed at me.

"Mom, I'm fine, I'm safe, and I raced injured because I couldn't let the team down!"

"You race singles! You don't have a team!"

My face went blank. "Touché mom."

Melody laughed a little.

"And who is this?" Mom asked, pointing to Her.

"This is Melody, she's a friend."

"I thought I told everyone to get out!"

"Mom, stop."

"No! I told everypony to get out! Now go!"

"Mom, please." I was doing my best to hold my anger in.

"No! Get out of here before I hurt you!"

"Mom! Stop!"

Mom turned and was about to buck melody, but I jumped out of the bed, into the way as moms hooves collided with my chin. I was ent flying back, and when I had recovered, I stood up.

"MOM, I WILL NOT LET ANYPONY TALK TO MY MAREFRIEND THAT WAY!"

She turned, stunned. A tear fell down her face as I spit out a tiny bit of blood.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"Go." I said

"What?"

"GO! GET OUT! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU RIGHT NOW!"

She turned and began walking as I got back in the bed. She wasn't bucking as hard as she could. I would have lost some teeth.

Note: Hey guys! I need a new set of OCs to use. Thunderdrop, if you want me to use your oc, I need more info. I am looking for some female pegasi and one or two male pegasi.

FeatherDash


	7. Surprises, surprises

"I'm sorry you had to see that." I told melody. She simply stared at me.

"Melody?" She snapped out of her trance and responded.

"Hm?" She said

"Are you okay?"

"Never better!"

"Ok then..."

She left a few minutes later when the nurse came in. She ran a few tests,then left as mom walked in.

"Mom, I'm sorry." I told her.

"It wasn't you. I shouldn't have yelled at her that way." She told me as she sat down next to the bed.

As the two weeks passed, I got progressively better, and by the fourteenth day, I was ready to go. I jumped out of the bed and ran into the hall. I was dying. I needed to fly around or I was going to go insane. When I stepped outside, I was met with the sound of rain falling. Time to rock. I told myself as I took off. Everything felt fine, so I gradually picked up speed. It was Sunday, and I had missed the lead pony/ wing pony posting. I flew over to the main building, where I would find Spitfire.

I knocked gently on the door and a voice that I knew was Spitfire's rang out.

"Come in." She said. I slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hey spitfire, I was wondering if you could tell me if I am a wing pony or lead pony?" I asked.

She nodded and began shuffling around in a drawer behind her desk. She pulled out a clipboard and flipped through a few pages.

"Ah! Here you are.

Team three:

lead pony: FeatherDash

wing pony: melody step.

Daily task: clear the skies above west campus."

"Alright thanks Spitfire!"

"Did I say you could leave?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then stay where you are. I need your help."

"With what?"

"Your partner. It seems she has a bit of a fear of heights."

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

"Figure out some way to help her."

"Alright."

One more thing. Please explain to me how you got injured."

"I was bumped to the side by that other stallion, and I hit the obstacle."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"Nothing happened the day before?"

"Dammit Vague!" I said to myself.

"It's alright, but next time, try to get your injuries checked out BEFORE it becomes life-threatening."

"Will do."

"Alright, well I'm guessing you have things to do, so you can go."

"Thank you ma'am." I said as I closed the door. I sighed a breath of relief and walked back outside. She was right. I did have things to do. As I flew back to my room, I was intercepted from the side and landed on a low lying cloud.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I said.

"Maybe." The voice said. I turned to see Melody standing above me. The rain went down her mane and dripped onto my face.

"Well, isn't that just adorable?" She said as she poked my outstretched wings. I reached back and tried to get them to fold up, but it didn't work. I sighed in frustration as I stood up.

"Whatcha doin?" She asked as I got my wings to fold.

"Well, I've spent two weeks in a bed, so I was going to stretch my wings." I told her.

"Cool!"

"What are you doing?"

"Well, now I don't know."

"Okay. I gotta go, see ya!"

"Bye!"

I took off towards the dorm, as the rain poured down. When I unlocked the door and stepped in, I shook off a little.

"Well, look who's feeling better!" Vague said from his bunk. He was reading a book, so I walked past him.

"I'm going to beta quick practice in." I told him as I grabbed my yellow exercise bag from the corner.

"That's not a good idea!" He yelled, but I was already out the door.

I didn't like practicing with the others. Too crowded. Twenty seven pegasi on one course? I don't think so. I told spitfire my dilemma, and she simply handed me a key to the facilities.

"There's always one. Go." She said. I Bolted out the door and flew to the gates opened with a click as I removed the lock. It was still pouring out, but that was my favorite time to exercise. I went into the locker room and set my bag in the locker under my name plate. I reached in and grabbed the clip which I then put in my mane. I had learned that the clip sent data to a machine right next to the locker room. I went over before I started to look at how it works. There was a little slot, the same size as the clip. The screen read:

Please insert device.

I took my clip and set it in the spot. The screen changed to a menu with four options.

Records

Career

Options

Reset

I poked the records button, and a list of dates came up. I clicked the most recent one, and a chart appeared. It showed my times on all my laps. I went back to the career tab, and it told me total time logged, total distance traveled, and my record time. i pulled my clip off and returned it to my mane as the machine reset.

I put my hooves on the white dots that indicated where I should stand. I counted down in my head and took off. I completed lap after lap without stopping, but as soon as I hit thirty five, I stopped for a break. The track was huge, and it took me two minutes to get around it. I decided to cut it short, it being my first day out of the hospital and all.

I tossed my clip into the bag and grabbed a towel. I set it on the bench outside the shower as I heard hoof steps.

"Hello?" I asked. No response. Must've been my imagination. I told myself. I stepped in the shower, and a few minutes later the weirdest thing happened. The shower curtain flung open as Melody jumped in.

"Melody! What are you doing?!" I yelled.

"Taking a shower, duh." She responded.

"But I'm in here!"

"Yeah, that's kinda the point."

"What point?!"

"Well if you weren't here, I couldn't do this."

As the water ran down our manes, she grabbed me and kissed me. I was stunned. As she backed up a step, I stared into her big blue eyes.

"Good point." I said as she broke into a fit of laughter.

"You shouldn't freak out so much next time. I am your marefriend, after all." She said once she had recovered. I stepped out and grabbed my towel. Once I had dried off completely, I grabbed her a towel. I had no idea how important this mare was going to be to me.


	8. (Not so) Private Time

"She did what?!" Vague shouted at me.

"She jumped into the shower! While I was in it!" I told him.

"You sly dog!"

"I didn't know she was there! Give me a break!"

"Never!"

I jumped into bed, embarrassed. I start classes and duties tomorrow.

I woke to the sound of my alarm going off. I went around my usual business, then headed for the track. I was meeting melody so we could clear the west campus.

"Took you long enough! I've been here for like ten minutes!" Melody shouted to me. I landed in front of her as she glared at me.

"Alright, let's get to work." She said as she walked past me. The tip of her tail hit my nose, and I followed her. It took an hour for us to clear the entire west campus, but when we were done, the sun was up. I headed over to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"They should serve pancakes every day." Vague said as he wolfed down the last of his plate.

"But then they wouldn't be as special." I told him.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

"So what's up with you and Melody?"

"Galas in a week, so I need to go home for the weekend."

"Why?"

"My mom knows somepony who can get me a tux."

"Ah, cool."

"I guess."

"Well, I gotta go. Me and my wing pony need to clear the east campus."

"Me and Melody cleared the west, so don't go and push clouds into our part."

"No promises!" He said as he walked away.

"Today, I want you all to work with your wing pony. Together, you will do an obstacle course. When you finish the course, you can leave." Spitfire said. I looked over at Melody and nodded. There was a huge temporary tent in front of us. There was one big circle, and a second one connected to it..

"One of you will go to the start of the course, and one of you will go to the midpoint. Go!" I ran to the start and lined up shoulder to shoulder with the others. There was a loud bang and we all jumped into the obstacle course. It was pitch black, save a few spots of light. I flew forward, into a wall. I turned and noticed something. The lights made a pattern. It was a long shot, but I went with it. I followed the lights, and before I knew it, I was tagging Melody to let her do her half.

"As expected, you are first out. Have a good rest of your day, Feather." Spitfire told me.

"Thank you, ma'am." I told her. I knew exactly what I was going to do. I went back to my dorm, picked up my yellow bag, and headed for the track.

When I got there, I was met by Spitfire.

"Is everypony done already?" I asked her.

"No, only you. I need to talk to you." She said.

"Alright, am I in trouble?"

"Not at all!"

"Then what do you need to talk to me about?"

"I have access to every record of any racer in this academy."

"Okay?"

"Your records surpass any other racer at the academy."

"Really?"

"Yes. I wanted to give you my congratulations."

"Well, thank you!"

"Your welcome! I will leave you be then."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes."

She left the track, and I walked into the locker room. I attached the clip to my mane and headed out to practice.

When I was finished, I came in to find Melody sitting next to my bag.

"You really like to push yourself, don't you?" She asked.

"Yes I do." I told her as I grabbed a towel.

"Are you getting me one?"

"I didn't think you were taking a shower."

"I am."

"Alright. But you do realize you're in the men's locker room right?"

"I do."

Then it hit me. She wanted to take a shower with me. My eyes went wide and she smiled.

"Now you get it!" She said.

"Yes, now I get it." I said.

She walked past me, into the shower stall.

"I'll just meet you in there." She said.

I heard the water turn on as I turned and grabbed a second towel before heading into the stall where she was waiting for me.


	9. Elimination!

"So, is this gonna be a routine thing with you?" Vague asked.

"I don't know! She just kinda appears, then wants to shower with me." I told him.

"And you don't think this is your fault at all?"

"No!"

"Alright, I'm here for you, I guess."

"Uh, okay?"

"I don't know! I'm not a bucking therapist!"

"I didn't say you were!"

"Alright then."

He was never any help, but it felt nice to tell somepony what happened. I grabbed my yellow bag, and headed out the door. I planned on going to the track right after agility today. After clearing the skies, I went to breakfast with Vague. Nothing really happened, so I went to agility. I found everypony lined up with their partners. I slipped into my spot next to Melody as Spitfire started talking.

"As you all know, ponies all over Equestria travel to see the wonderbolts perform. Because they travel so far, you need to make the show spectacular! For one week, select ponies from this class will be given an opportunity to perform at wonderbolts shows. Those who don't make the cut will be sent home. You will be performing in your lead pony wing pony teams." She passed out sheets of paper to us.

"Take a second to read over this. It outlines your assignment."

I looked at the paper, and read it aloud to Melody.

"Elimination assignment:

You and your partner will create a routine to preform at a wonderbolts show. You will perform, and the audience will vote on their favorite. The losers will be sent home, and the winners will go on to advanced curriculum. Good luck. -Spitfire" I told her.

Her jaw dropped.

"I think we should get to work." I told her. She nodded and we went to the track.

"What if we flew straight up, turned, and twisted as we sped down?" I asked. It had taken an hour, but she wasn't afraid of heights anymore. She nodded, and we took off straight up. Once we reached a certain height, we turned and twisted around each other. We pulled up right before hitting the ground. We returned to the starting point, and discussed further. The rest of the day went by pretty fast, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep in my dorm.

I sat on the opposite end of the room, across from Melody. I stood, and started running for her. She didn't move at all. I slowly came closer and closer to her. Everything was moving in slow motion. I bent down to hug her, but she disappeared like a puff of smoke. I looked around, I was in an empty room, alone. I sat down as tears began to well up in my eyes. I heard a voice ring out. "Feather..." It said as I woke up. I was gasping for air. I hopped out of bed and went outside.


	10. Tears

"First group, third group, and seventh group! Come into the locker room!" The loudspeaker blared. Agility class had been nothing but practice lately. I turned to Melody, who simply shrugged. We landed in front of the locker room and stepped inside. We found four of our classmates lined up in front of Spitfire. I joined the end of the line as Spitfire talked.

"You three groups will be the first to compete. Tomorrow, after races, you will be escorted to the cloudisseum. After the main show is complete, you will each go one at a time. After that's done, you will return here to await the results. Understood?" She said.

"Yes ma'am!" We all said.

I yelled I frustration as my hoof hit the brick wall. A tear escaped my eye as I walked out onto the track. It was pitch black for a moment, then the lights came to life. I took off straight up. I had to get this perfect. I sped up and turned down. I felt the wind hit my face, and I sped up. I can't go home now. I'm so close! I told myself as I pushed myself even harder. My final part of the performance could be the difference between winning and losing.

I pulled up before hitting the ground. Sprinting to the nearest trash can, I vomited from exhaustion. When I regained my breath, I walked back onto the track to continue. I ran the trick hundreds of times. Four hours later, I had missed dinner, and was no closer to getting this trick. I collapsed onto the rough surface of the foot race track. I sat there until I had the strength to stand. Keep going! I told myself as I began to take off. There was a tug on my tail, and I turned to see Melody. She pulled me back down to the ground, and wrapped me in a hug.

That's when I broke. All the aggression and sadness from the past two months was released as tears began to stream down my face.

"Vague..." I said through my sobs.

"Vague what?" She asked me.

"He's team seven..."

"It'll be alright. I'm sure he won't hold anything against you."

We stood there and I cried till there were no more tears I could release. I slowly walked back to my dorm and drifted off to sleep.

"Racers, in position!" The loudspeaker blared. I walked out and took my spot on the starting line. Three other pegasi were lined up to my left. The light turned green, and I lunged forward as I took an early lead. I sped through lap after lap, until one stallion caught up with me. I looked over and instantly recognized him. I was face to face with the one that hospitalized me. As we neared a loop, I went out a little, and came in full speed, checking the stallion into a cloud on the side. I finished the race in first place, a whole fifteen seconds ahead of everypony else.

Melody came sprinting out of nowhere and tackled me. I stood up as a referee led me to a platform. I stepped up, in between the other two pegasi. The one I had checked was on the ground, pouting. I lowered my head a little as the referee put a medal around my neck. I observed the piece of metal. It was a golden wonderbolts logo on a ribbon. I smiled as the crowd went wild.

On my way into the locker room, I detached my clip and threw it into my yellow bag. Spitfire walked in and I followed her to where the other two teams were meeting. A group of royal Canterlot guards showed up and led us to the arena.

I let out a shaky breath as I shoved my yellow bag into a slot in the locker room. Here, it was a lot bigger and fancier. I was stretching my wings, when a piece of soft clothing landed on my face. I removed it to see the blue and yellow outfit I had always wanted to wear. The wonderbolts uniform. I slid it on, and looked at myself in the mirror. I smiled as Melody jumped on my back. She wasn't heavy so it was easy to carry her. She messed with my hair before jumping off and giving me a quick kiss. She walked over to the doorway and started talking with Spitfire. I walked up next to her and began running in place.

"Feels like I'm wearing nothing at all!" I said.

Spitfire let us out, and as we were going, we passed Vague and his partner. He glared at me, but I ignored him. I knew one thing for sure.

Vague wasn't my friend anymore.


	11. Dashing Away

I took a deep breath. I felt the roars of the crowd in my stomach as we stepped up to the ledge. We both jumped and began plummeting. Melody nodded to me, and we pulled up. Once we reached the height of our arc, our direction changed as we wove around each other. We broke at the bottom, and Melody began circling the arena right above everypony. This is it! I told myself as I flew straight up. I remembered the hundreds of times I had tried and failed. I turned and began flying down. Memories began flying around my mind.

Melody was standing above me while I was on the grass. The scene changed, and I was talking with Vague. It changed again, and I was in the shower as melody jumped in. Another change. I sat in front of mom as she took a picture of me. She talked.

"My little colt..." That echoed in my head.

Enough! I said to myself. Time to make mom proud! I flapped my wings harder and harder. Different memories of mom floated through my mind, and I shouted in frustration as I gave a last push. I felt tears being blown from my face as I gained speed. I pulled up, and returned to the arena. The whole place was silent as I landed on the ledge.

I let my head hang as I walked into the locker room. I felt a rumble in my stomach as the crowd cheered. I hadn't eaten in a day, and it was taking its toll. Melody greeted me when I entered the locker room. Spitfire told us to follow her, and we returned to the academy. Once I had my hooves on the ground, I ran off.

I was devastated. As the water from the shower ran down my wings, I hit the tile wall. I began punching as hard as I could. When I was finished, the tile was shattered, and my hoof was bleeding. I stared at the tile floor as water dripped down my mane. There as a stream of red cutting through towards the drain. I remembered what I promised Spitfire, so I dried off and headed for the clinic.

"Welcome back, Feather. What can I do for you?" Nurse Redheart asked me. I pointed to the trail of bloody hoof steps, and she sighed. I was led into a small exam room, and she made me lie down. I winced as she wiped the blood away. She began wrapping a bandage around my hoof. After she was finished, she left the room. After a few minutes, the doctor came In and called for nurse Redheart to come back in. They unwrapped my hoof and removed the dripping gauze. They started stitching the cuts closed, and an hour later, I was walking back to the cafeteria, hoof wrapped in bandages. Dinner was about to start, and I was starving.


	12. Vaguely suspicious

I took my normal spot next to Vague, but he got up and moved away. Melody came over and sat across from me. I ate as she yelled at me for getting injured again. i knew that after this, we would go into a conference room with spitfire, the other students, and a few guards. I didn't think we'd need the guards, but apparently losers get rowdy sometimes.

I sat down in a chair across from Vague. One by one, team members entered the room and took their seats. Spitfire entered the room and looked at each of us individually for a second before speaking.

"Alright, let's keep this short. Team one, you're out with only two percent of the votes cast." The two girl pegasi stood up and exited the room.

"One team got ninety-three percent of all votes. Congratulations team three, you win by a landslide." Vague lurched over the table and punched me square in the neck. I fell out of the chair as he was carried out of the room. I stared at the ground, gasping for air. Melody got down next to me and put a hoof on my back.

"Sweet Celestia, are you okay?!" She asked. I didn't have the breath to speak, so I just nodded.

"Don't worry, this has happened before." Spitfire said as she walked over to us.

"Congratulations. You are one of three teams continuing on." I looked up and managed a smile as she walked away. Before she left, she turned to Melody.

"By the way, you might want to keep him away from his dorm. Can he spend the night in your room? I know your roommate was expelled."

Melody smiled and nodded.

"Alright, promise you'll stay out here?" I asked Melody.

"Yes! I promise!" She said. I closed the door to her bathroom. I turned on the shower and stepped inside. I sighed. The water felt amazing after two long days of practice and performance. As I stepped out, dripping wet, I grabbed the towel to dry off.

A wave of steam rolled out when I opened the bathroom door. I kind of stretched before flying up to the top bunk. I settled in under the blankets and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Note: sorry for the delay, melody has been keeping me busy lately ^_^'

FeatherDash


	13. Returning Home

13

*Tap*

*Tap tap tap*

*Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap*

I awoke with a start. Melody was lying next to me, poking my face repeatedly.

"Well good morning to you too." I said as I sat up. Melody giggled as I rubbed the last remnants of sleep from my eyes.

"What's so funny?" I asked her.

"Nothing!" She said as she floated down off the bunk. I threw myself off the side, landing on my face. I recovered to see a big white box in the middle of the floor. Melody pushed it over to me, and I peeked inside.

"Why do I Have to wear this?" I asked out of frustration. "I look ridiculous."

"No! You look adorable!" Melody said with a squee. I looked down. The box had contained the clothes I was wearing to the Gala.

"When is the gala anyways?" I asked her.

She gave me a cold stare. _Oh crap_! I thought to myself._ It's tonight!_

"I have some, uh, errands to run! See you later!" I shot out the door without even fixing my mane, which flung every which way.

My mane wasn't a big deal. I could fix it later. Fluttershy would be waiting for me at home like I asked. She promised to help make a small flower thingy you put on a girls forehoove. I landed at the front door of my house and took a look around. I missed this place. The door flew open and I was greeted by a huge hug. I looked down to see Sweetie Belle holding on to me like I was a life preserver.

"Oh! Hold on!" She said as she dashed inside. I heard shuffling and a few whispers before the trio of fillies emerged from my house. They carried a box with them and set it down in front of me.

I opened the box to reveal a collage of pictures. There were photos of everyone in Ponyville that I cared for. My mom and her friends doing various things, the cutie mark crusaders, and Jubilee. I hadn't seen jubilee in a long time, so once I had finished the flower thingy and put it in a box, I headed off towards her house.

*knock knock knock*

I waited for a few seconds and was about to leave when I heard a voice from inside.

"Just a second!"

I stood on the doorstep for a few seconds, then the door opened to reveal an older looking version of my friend. Her eyes lit up and she pulled me into a huge hug, sending us both flying into her house.

NOTE: sorry for my lateness on this chapter. truth is, I kinda lost focus for a while, but I'm gonna try and get back into my rhythm. Oc submissions still accepted. Thinking of doing tiny stories of events not covered in this series. PM me ideas!

featherdash


	14. Playing Mailmare

14

"Owwwww..." I said as I got up.

I was pushed back onto the floor as Jubilee sat on my stomach.

"What're you doing here?!" She asked with a smile.

"Just visiting a few friends I guess."

"That's nice. How is wonderbolts academy?"

"It's fine."

"Just fine?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?" She said with a small frown.

"I'm going to the gala tonight with my marefriend and I'm worried she won't have a good time."

Jubilees face went dark.

"Get out." She said.

"What?"

"Get out!"

She levitated me over to the door and tossed me out. I hit the ground with a thud as the lock clicked behind me.i dusted myself off and trotted off towards the library. I was sure twilight would want to see me.

I opened the door and trotted in.

"Twilight? You home?" I shouted. She was used to me barging in, as I did it when I was a colt.

"Yeah! Be right there!" She yelled from the room at the top of the stairs.

I walked around looking at the spines of books stacked on the shelves.

"Hey Feather! What's up?" Twilight said as she descended the stairs wearing a pure white saddle.

"First, what are you wearing?" I asked.

"Oh this? Rarity made it for me for the gala tonight! I'm so excited! Maybe Princess Celestia has a new spell!"

"Twilight! Focus!"

"Sorry!"

"Ok, here's your copy of my latest work." I took a small package out of my bag and gave it to her.

"Alright! I'll listen to it later. Are you hungry? I was about to make some lunch!"

"I'm actually very busy right now. There's a lot of ponies who are waiting for my work as well. Gotta go! Bye!" I ran out the door and heard Twilight say something before I took off for Rarity's.

I knocked on the door to the carousel boutique and waited. A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing Rarity with her cat Opalescence hanging on her side.

"Oh hello Feather. How are you darling?"

"I'm fine thanks. Just wanted to bring my latest work by for you."

I handed her a second package and left for Pinkie Pie's.

I entered Sugarcube corner to find putting icing on a very large cake. She saw me, and reached for something behind the counter.

"Pinkie!" She shouted. Pinkie Pie came hopping down the stairs and gasped. Then she exploded.

"Ohmygosh! Feather! What are you doing here?!" She asked.

"Well, hello to you too. I just came by to give you a copy of my latest work." I said as I pulled the final package out and gave it to her.

She screamed and ran upstairs with the package. I ignored it and turned to leave.

"Wait! Here, this is for you." Ms cake said. She gave me a cupcake. The ones with the blue frosting that I always ate when I lived in Ponyville. I thanked her and left, taking off for home.


	15. Magic Mare

15

After saying goodbye to everypony, I took off towards Wonderbolt Academy. I had a few hours before I was meeting Melody, so I decided to train for a while. I threw my yellow bag to the side after clipping my mane back.

I proceeded to push myself until sweat ran down my face like a faucet. I went into the locker room and found the shower already running. I sighed.

"Melody, would that possibly be you?" I asked in a raised tone.

"How did you know?!" She said as she peeked out from behind the white curtain.

"Wild guess." I said sarcastically.

I returned to my dorm and looked around. The posters Vague had put up were gone, leaving bare wall. I sighed. I didn't know why, but I had a bad feeling about the gala. The suit sat in the white box on my bunk. Melody must've brought it over or something.

After struggling for about ten minutes, I managed to slip the thing on. I went to fix my mane real fast, and grabbed the flower thing before leaving for Melody's. My hoof steps echoed down the hall as I headed towards the dorm where Melody was waiting.

I opened the door to see an empty room.

"Melody?" I said.

"Oh! Hold on!" I heard her say from the bathroom.

"Uh, ok?"

"Sit on the bed and close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine!" I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with my eyes closed. I heard the click of the door as it opened. A really good smell filled my nose. It was really fruity.

"Okay, open em!" She said.

I opened my eyes to the most beautiful mare I had ever seen. Her dress floated pat her flank like a blue bank of fog. It was covered in music notes, and matched her perfectly.

"You look incredible!" I said.

"Really?" She asked, blood rushing to her cheeks.

"Yeah!"

"*giggles* okay, well it's time to go or were gonna be late!"

"Okay! Okay! Lets go!

NOTE: Ok I need help! If you read this far, pm me with ideas on how the gala should play out! Thanks!

Featherdash


	16. The gala pt 1

We arrived three hours later at the front gates of the castle. I gently nudged Melody, who had fallen asleep on my lap. She looked around as I stood up, and we exited our carriage. As we ascended the front steps, we were greeted by the princesses.

"Well, if it isn't one of Equestria's greatest young fliers!" Luna said with a smile.

"Not so young anymore, are you?" Princess Celestia said with a wink. I still couldn't get used to the presence of Equestria royalty even though I've seen them dozens of times before.

After a while, we walked inside to a giant ballroom filled with all sorts of ponies. We tried our best to get through the giant crowd, but somehow we became separated. I went into full panic.

"Melody?!" I shouted. I kept shouting her name until I finally found her near the food tables. She was guarding two glasses of punch.

"I've been waiting for you to show up!" She said with a smile. I simply walked over and took a sip of one of the cups.

Melody knocked my hand away from the cup all of a sudden. Her face was a scene of worry.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. I'm fine." She said.

I brought her out to the dance floor as a slow song started to play. She nuzzled up against my neck as we slowly went back and forth.

"Be careful" she said to me.

"What?" I was so confused. Be careful of what?

Sadly, I was about to find out.

Note: hey guys! Long time, no write? Idk if that works but I'm going with it. I hope you enjoyed the intro to my writing of the gala! More will follow this, I promise! However, we are reaching that point where I might need to continue into another story! Pm me and tell me if you want to see a part four and what you'd like to see next!

FeatherDash


	17. The gala pt2

I finished the last of my glass as an old friend walked up. "We'll if it isn't feather!" She said. I turned to see Jubilee behind me.

"Hey Jubilee! What's up?" I asked her.

"Not much! Hey, I just wanted to apologize for throwing you out earlier."

"It's okamfph-" she stuffed a glass in my face.

"Here, I got you this."

"Oh, thanks?" I was really confused now. She was acting weird.

"Go on, drink it!" She said with a smile. I didn't want to be mean, so I downed the contents of the glass. Immediately after, I knew something was wrong. A devious grin spread across Jubilees face as I dropped the glass.

"I need to go." I stumbled away.

"Alright. I'll be seeing you later."

I walked toward the bathroom, feeling really dizzy. Everything seemed so surreal and I collapsed in the middle of the hallway. I sat there, breathing heavily. My vision began to go blurry as I began to slip from consciousness. I went limp, and my vision went black.

I woke up to Jubilee sitting above me, stroking my mane. I tried to roll out of the way, but I was held in place on the floor by some sort of magic.

"I've been waiting such a long time for this!" Jubilee said. She stood and positioned herself on top of me. I shook my head, trying to avoid Jubilee. She sighed and restrained my head with magic as she kissed me. When she took her lips from mine, she sighed with satisfaction. I continued to struggle against her magic as I thought of how Melody is somewhere without me.

"Noo!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Someone might hear you! Shhh!" Jubilee said as my voice disappeared somehow. I continued to scream, but no sound came out.

"Alright, you need to stop trying to scream. It's harder to kiss you when you're yelling!" Jubilee said as our lips locked once again. This was my worst nightmare. Being restrained and tormented without help from Melody. I began to attempt to scream her name.

"Here, I'll give you a few minutes before we continue to the main event." Jubilee said with a wink. I was able to move, but I still didn't have my voice. I went over to the one window in the room, expecting to see the castle somewhere. Instead, I noticed we were in the castle. I was being tormented in the reach of Celestias aid, and no one was coming to help.


	18. The gala pt3

I was flung onto the floor and restrained a second time as Jubilee walked into the stood there and allowed her dress to fall to the ground.

"I hope you're ready for me." Jubilee said. At this point I went into full panic. I tried to scream and my voice returned.

"Melody!" I screamed. A minute later, as Jubilee situated herself above me, the door shattered as Melody ran into the room.

" what the hell are you doing to my coltfriend?!" Melody shouted.

"How cute! You think he's yours." Jubilee said. She flung Melody against the wall using her magic. "And now you get to watch as I take your coltfriends virginity!"

"No!" Melody shouted.

"Oh yes. You see, he's not yours, he's mine! Ever since his days in ponyville he's been mine. I'm just coming to claim my prize!" She leaned down next to my ear. "Our foals will be spectacular!"

Without a single second to spare, Shining Armor sped through the door and tackled Jubilee. I was released as melody fell to the floor. I scrambled over to her and looked into her eyes. She was badly injured.

"Shining Armor, I need to take her to the hospital. You got things here?" I asked him.

"Yeah. You go take care of her." Shining Armor said. I hoisted Melody onto my back and began to walk out as Jubilee began shouting.

"NO! HE'S MINE!" There was a blast of magic that sent everyone flying. I was lifted and drawn back next to Jubilee as she cast a spell cutting everypony off from us. I punched her square in the jaw and the separation faded. I retrieved Melody and ran for the hospital.

NOTE: that's the gala! I think three parts was long enough. I'm still accepting submissions, ideas, and it'd be really cool to get fan art. (Hint hint! :3) until next I write, adios!

featherdash


	19. Smiles

As the heart monitor beeped along in the corner of the room, I trotted back and forth, thinking about what had happened. I replayed everything in my head. I should have known that Jubilee was going to try and have me for herself. The way she reacted to finding out I had a marefriend should have given it away.

I heard a moan from the bed and I rushed over as Melody opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and looked up at me. I smiled.

"My head hurts..." She said to me.

"I know, it's gonna hurt for a while." I told her

"Where's jubilee?"

"I don't know. I left before I could find out."

She sighed and put her head back. I kissed her forehead as she dozed back off to sleep.

NOTE: just a small conclusion there. That ends book three! I'm having two contests for the release of part four. I'll post the details for those later. The winner gets a pretty awesome item!

Featherdash


	20. Part four contests

Here are the details for the part four contests!

Contest 1

Cover contest

Contestants will pm me letting me know that they are competing. The task is to create cover art for part four. It has to follow these criteria:

Must have feather and melody on it

Needs a background

Must have artists signature at the bottom right

Send a picture of the final products to featherdasher

Winner will receive a congratulations e mail and another item

Contest 2

Idea contest

Pm me letting me know if your competing

You must create a synopsis for part four. write at least five hundred words explaining it and submit it to featherdasher

Winner will receive a congratulations e mail and another item as well as recognition for your idea.


	21. Please!

I need more people to enter the contests! One person has entered so far. It doesn't matter if you think it's good or not! All covers are going to be added to a new Facebook page for this series. Please enter the contests!


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